The Reception of Sufism in the West

ACIM Rachid, Ibn Zohr University, FLHS, Agadir,

In the last decade, Islamophobia and racism have become rampant in the West, particularly in the United States of America and Europe. Muslims, be they immigrants or not, practitioners or not, are frequently prejudiced and discriminated against; the observer of the world scene is more likely to note that Sufis are valorized by a large audience. Compared to cults that identify themselves with the Salafi or Wahhabi ideology, the Sufi folk are usually defined as peaceful, tolerant and moderate. It is not a coincidence then to find that the Sufi leaders are working tremendously hard to promote love and peace worldwide. Probably this is why the Sufi ideals have appealed to the Western man as they engage and never disengage them through an universalist approach that espouses both variety and difference into its intestines. The present paper is an attempt to sketch out the reception of Sufism (Islamic mysticism) in the West. More particularly, it sheds light on the experiences of some Western converts, whose attraction to and fascination with Sufism is immeasurable. Central to this enquiry is the reception theory, which claims that people receive discourse in different ways. Initially, the researcher provides a synopsis about the expansion of Sufism in the West and its impact on Western thinking. Next, he foregrounds the personal experiences of some Western converts, who turn out to be icons and “mouthpieces” of peace not only in their home but also their receptive countries.

Rachid Acim is a Professor Assistant at the University of IbnZohr, Agadir, Morocco. His doctorate research has focused on the image of Islam in the U.S. print media discourse, particularly the New York Times Op-Eds. He is the translator of The Elixir of Truth: Journey on The Sufi Path, authored by the American scholar, Musa Muhaiyaddeen (E.L. Levin). He has varied research interests, which amongst others, include: discourse analysis, media, education and Sufi/Aesthetic Studies.

That globalization has caused great changes in the texture of cultures, discourses, and cultural practices is not open to doubt. Besides, cultural encounters, shocks, and clashes have increased, and so have their accompanying discourses and narratives. The need for multi-perspective and multicultural approaches has become imperative to reconsider conventional discourses of assimilation or absorption of differences which undermine diversity.

The conference aims to shed light on issues pertaining to language, culture, and religion, at large from, a pluri-disciplinary and/or multicultural perspective for a better understanding of the multiple, multi-faceted, and highly complex relations between the three pivotal components of the triad, language, culture, and religion.

Focal interest areas include (but are not limited to) tvhe following topics:

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